


HER PARTNER HER LOVER CHAPTER ONE

by Darklight996



Series: HER PARTNER HER LOVER [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood and Violence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:48:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26472904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darklight996/pseuds/Darklight996
Summary: An elf hunter tracks her vampire target to the modern human realm, and finds a partner. He's broken, but in time she helps him heal & they take the vampire down.
Relationships: O/C O/C
Series: HER PARTNER HER LOVER [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924516





	HER PARTNER HER LOVER CHAPTER ONE

HER PARTNER HER LOVER  
CHAPTER I: AN UNDERSTANDING

Shael Qirel and the characters herein aren't based on anyone living or dead, (or undead). Furthermore, this fiction is not based on actual events, if they are, it is purely accidental. I retain all rights to the characters and work. Any recreation without consent is PROHIBITED!

Warning: The following work of fiction has M/F sexual situations, nudity, profanity and violence. If you disagree with said content, DO NOT READ!

Shael Qirel, an ageless elf hunter with fire red fairy curled hair jumped from tree to tree chasing a male vampire. She drew her blade, almost close enough to kill him, but a portal swallowed the undead, stopping her cold. The woman flicked some strands of loose hair with two fingers in an annoyed tick, looking at the gateway. There wasn't a question of where it led, Shael knew it led to a modern land, a world she worked in before.

She gripped her blade and went through the hazy portal, ending up in a darkened forest outside a city. Shael scanned the area with her eyes, though the goosebumps forming on her skin made her tighten her grip on her blade. The elf heard a slight shift in the air and jumped off the branch, narrowly avoiding the vampire's sword. Her right leg went back after she twirled her sword, eyeing him with a stone glare that would freeze the untrained. “I won't let you take women from this realm either,” Shael angrily sneered, keeping her eye on the man.

“Oh but I already took one or two. It has been a month since you've followed, hunter,” the vampire coldly replied. He smiled evilly when the elf's expression turned to disbelief, having him gain a bit of power in this situation. The creature of the night drew his double-edged sword from the old faded sheath slowly, shadow stepping under the cover of darkness. Shael's undead opponent appeared, meeting his blade with hers with a great clang of steel on steel. His smile got darker when he saw her block and keep pace with him, making the man appear behind her, breaking her sword and bit the elf's shoulder.

“AHH,” she screamed, cringing from the pain. Shael back kicked the man hard, getting his fangs out of her shoulder, but she felt dizzy soon after. A vampire's bite won't turn elves, she knew that, but if not treated properly with herbs and magic, the wound would render her dead. The red-haired woman stumbled away from her mark, through the woods with blood dripping everywhere. Shael took a couple more steps before collapsing in front of a cabin where she thought she saw a man with a dog exit. She tried speaking so the person could be warned of the danger in the area, but her wounds made her pass out shortly before a word could be spoken.

“Max, this woman seems different, huh boy?” the man asked the Shepard after he knelt in front of the elf. He moved some of Shael's hair aside with a finger and saw the fang marks on her shoulder, having him take her over his shoulder. The man was no doctor, he was a cop, most of all though, some young ninja woman visited him two years from that day and told him about bites like this. He laid the hunter down, started the boiling water with the herbal medicine ready and told his canine to watch her.

The German Shepard gave a small bark and sat beside the woman. He was a statue, watching her rest, noting anything he might alert his master for. Max whimpered as the red-haired elf tossed her head back and forth, squinting in pain, making him go to the man.

The man came quickly with the dog following and sat beside her. The vampire's bite had slowly began to spread, turning Shael's shoulder a dark color of death. The stranger took a needle, dipped it in alcohol and pierced her shoulder with it, making a flush out point before wrapping the arm in medicated bandages after. “You'll be alright, but after two days, start using spells to heal it,” he told her once he looked the rest of the arm over.

Shael sat up slowly, body screaming in pain every second, looking at him. The woman was thankful for his treatment of the wound, but she couldn't understand how he knew the treatment, or about spells. “I'm grateful for the help, though how do you know? I mean,” she said calmly, just glued to the man as he headed for the door. The hunter didn't mean any disrespect, it was just odd that a human from this world found out how to treat elves.

“Someone I called a friend taught me a lot about your realm,” he answered with before leaving the room. His pet stayed to watch her, though knew his master hurt.

The man went to a room and sat in front of a desk of folders. He opened one, reading it before dialing his police captain, but shivered when skimming the file. “Captain? Yeah, I've taken the folders you asked me to look over, and if it's the serial killer from two years ago, we have a serious problem,” the guy told the captain straight out. He listened, cringing at the fool's response, but interjected, “Well, can you consider the possibility?” He hung the cell up on the guy and continued reading the file before making dinner.

The red-haired hunter readjusted in the bed and thought about what the vampire told her, about he had been there two months. Shael went through the portal after he did, not feeling anything off, but the unexpected needed to be explored when creatures of the night were involved. Her thoughts wandered to the man who gave her aid, wondering who taught and told him about the world she came from. Shael tried getting up to go ask him, her body refusing her, but saw him at the door with food.

The man came in, put the tray of food on the stand next to the bed and helped her. He eased Shael back, knowing some elves thought humans were lesser beings, not good enough to touch them, or so the story was told to him. “I know you might smack me because I touched you, but you need to limit moving,” her mysterious savior told her before checking the wounds again. The man saw that the poison the vampire transmitted wasn't spreading yet, which was a good sign.

Shael sighed while he wrapped her shoulder and arm again, silently thanking him. “I'm not like those elves,” the hunter commented kind of gruffly, though didn't mean anything towards him. Many elves were snobs, she knew a few from her own village and travels, but she actually found humans helpful. The elf watched him tend to her before asking, “Who taught you healing and told you about the other realm?” calmly.

He shrugged some and answered, “A lady ninja from your realm and I worked together once. She stayed here, and.” The guy hid the remorse in his voice, or perhaps he hoped it was hidden, but the bumps that manifested could betray that. “I hope the food's okay,” Shael's aid added after putting the tray above her lap.

“Sure looks better than berries every night,” she commented light heartily, helping position it better. The woman had more questions for the him, like was he a hunter of sorts, but the rumbling of her stomach beckoned her to eat. Shael fell in love with the meal from the first bite, finishing it quickly, though hoped her table manners didn't offend her host. She put the utensils down before looking at the guy wondering if she should ask about what happen. “I hope you don't mind, but I heard you argue about a case?” Shael asked kindly, hoping the question wasn't out of line.

The man shrugged a bit, trying to decide what to say, but said, “I'm a police officer, and SHE and I teamed up to track a murderer she was sent here to catch,” calmly, though on the brink of being emotionless. He didn't want to tell the elf that they fell in love, knowing that some from her realm frown upon that. Her host sighed before adding, “We tracked the man, creature or whatever he was to a warehouse where Deadra fought him, but she died,” coldly. The man quickly collected Shael's tray, then left, not wanting to show the tears that might come, but she grabbed his arm.

The fire red-haired hunter looked at him and thought for a moment. “When I came through the gate, the vampire I'm hunting told me he was here for two months before I appeared, but,” Shael told him, puzzled. It could be that the same vampire ran here two years prior and this ninja tried taking him back. The woman could team up with this man to catch him, though healing and finding a weapon needed to be first on the list if things to do.

“If you're thinking of teaming up, forget it,” he said with a coldness before continuing the cleanup. He wasn't about to lose another partner, but knew the elf needed weapons, that was apparent. The guy sighed before he left, adding, “It may not be swordsmanship or what you're use too, but I have a weapon and style I can teach you,” with a cold kindness in his tone.

She sighed, nodding and said, “Thank you,” before laying back. The woman knew his fear, she couldn't deny it, but he seemed like there was more to the story. If she could read the man, she swore that he wished he died, which could be the truth. Shael brushed some hair back after looking at the injured side, thinking about the vampire and what damage he could do while she was healing. Shael's eyelids grew heavier before too long after her head hit the pillow, allowing the sandman to fairy her to the dream world.

Meanwhile, her target entered a strip club and sat in a dark corner, watching a young brunette dancer. The vampire smirked after he licked his lips, impressed by the way she looked and drank her body in, eager to taste her blood. He motioned a waitress aside and gave her a pair of twenties for the woman, giving her a message for the stripper. Her fate wet his lips and loins as she would be made love to, then drained dry, though both would be done very slowly. The undead man stood, pulled out a chair and offered her a seat, but the two left the establishment soon after.

The brunette exotic dancer looked upon the stranger with a blank stare in her eyes. She smiled, wanting him, though didn't know why she did. Her heart fluttered when they entered her apartment, and she turned toward this man, a longing within. She swayed her hips slowly, untying her slinky bikini top, revealing her perfect breasts to her soon to be. The woman brushed some hair off to the left and smiled before leaning into his palm, yearning for whatever would come.

He smiled evilly before stepping forward and scooping her up after his clothing vanished. The vampire kissed the young brunette deeply, savoring it, noting her feeding into it and returning it. Her undead lover smirked between the lip lock, as if he enjoyed her need for him, having the creature of the night pin her to the bed. He moved fast, pushing into the bronze-skinned stripper with a quick and unforgiving motion, hearing her yelp, but dig into his back, lovingly.

She arched up and moaned in his ear, yearning for more. The brunette swayed her hips, countering his violent thrusts before long, loving it. Her heart pounded louder with the slightest touch of his hand on her skin, making her gasp. She shivered and moved against him while their bodies synced perfectly, smiling when release freed them.

He lightly kissed her neck a few times before his fangs pierced her flawless skin, slowly drinking her blood. The vampire heard her moan and felt her move, having him draw the woman closer as he drank. Shael Qirel's mark had human blood before, drinking it from maidens from their world and ours, he admitted such, but this woman's blood seemed sweeter, having it be enjoyed. The vampire threw her lifeless corpse down on the bed as he licked his lips, savoring the blood flowing down his throat.

“Hello,” Shael's host said after answering his phone. The man wiped the sleepers from his eyes, but sighed due to what he'd heard. “I told him,” he muttered, still listening to his captain talk, not believing this. “Yeah, I get it... I'll be there in one hour,” he said while dressing, looking at his pet, silently telling him to head for the door. The man finished getting dressed, a whole list of things he wanted to tell the captain, but his lips needed to be zipped

Shael saw him pass the room she was in and got out of bed, her body resisting the request. The fairy curled elf stumbled for a few steps, but made it out to where he was. Her eyes met his, and though no words were spoken, she knew the vampire she was hunting struck. “He killed, didn't he?” Shael asked in concern, but didn't need him to respond to get the answer. She blinked a few times, fighting back from the poison in her arm before adding, “Please let me come with you... I promise you I won't get in the way!”

The guy shot her a cold stare that left the elf frozen, but she did have a point. “Fine! But remember, you're healing still,” he bluntly said while grabbing a white headband for her. “Put this on your forehead to hide your ears,” he added calmer, grabbing a trench coat for her to wear. The two went over her cover while the officer let the dog out.

She slightly nodded, giving him the impression she understood the rule, but winced from the pain. The red-haired elf summoned a spell to her two fingers and held them over her infected arm, dosing it with the first treatment. Oh, Shael knew full well the guy told her wait two or three days before starting the spell, but if her target killed a woman, waiting wasn't in the cards. The hunter got in some horseless thing with him, heading to the crime scene, but didn't gloss over that she never asked his name.

The man kept himself glued to the road, but said, “My name's Darrick,” calmly. Darrick found her name to be Shael Qirel, and together worked it into her cover story. He wasn't sure how he felt about working with another from the other realm, or if he betrayed Deadra, a fact he shivered over. The cat ninja wouldn't want him to be in this much pain, and Darrick knew that, but if he fell in love, only to lose the woman, like he lost her, it would kill him.

The two got to the crime scene, finding some cops stepping all over the evidence. Shael stepped out, and followed Darrick's lead, coming with him to the dead woman's covered body. She knelt down as he uncovered it, inspecting the marks on her neck. The elf saw the utter disgust in his face that told her they were after the same vampire. “So he is the same creature that killed her?” Shael asked him under her breath. His nod answered the question, though the look on Darrick's face gave more.

“Probably work of a copycat killer. The hooker probably got off on role play that went wrong,” a rookie said after snickering. All he saw was Darrick pulling him down by the lapel, which made him shiver.

“LOOK! HOOKER OR NOT, WE HAVE A DUTY TO FIND HER KILLER, DIPSHIT,” Darrick told the rookie angrily. He pulled the guy closer to the body, silently giving him a lesson before adding, “Copycats don't suck blood completely out, her blood is drained!” The man threw the kid back, muttering swears before heading back to the car with the elf. Darrick opened the door for Shael, but his captain stepped up.

“Are you drunk?! I saw that,” the older man huffed, looking dead at them both. The man had more to say, though the elf stepped in.

“I'm Detective Shelly Gibson, sir! My county had the same murders, and thought I could help Darrick solve this,” Shael said, making it up as she went. “You really shouldn't scold him, not when the rookie was disrespectful,” she bluntly added before getting in the car.

Darrick's captain shivered after the dressing down that he didn't see them drive off. Nobody spoke to him in that way, though she had a point.

The woman's words made Darrick shiver on the inside. The man thought she'd freeze or say phrases that wouldn't make sense in modern time, but she was spot on. “Were you here before this?” he asked while driving.

“Times that I don't have contracts I come here,” she answered after a minute. Shael added that she worked on contracts that fled here to, but she vacationed on Earth. She looked at the man with a strand of respect for his restraint in the matter that just happened and nodded. “Where are we headed?” the elf asked while she kept eyes on him.

“We need to hit up strip clubs, and see if that woman worked at one of em, “ Darrick replied after thinking. He pulled into a lot, putting the car in park before looking at Shael. “But I need to pick up things so I can train you,” the man added a minute before exiting. He watched as she got out of the passenger side, totally puzzled by his statement.

Shael followed him into the shop, perplexed as to why they were at a home store. The hunter looked around once they entered the building, but she didn't expect what she saw. She had been in the human world before, and knew what home improvement businesses were like, she admitted that, it was more. “This is,” the elf mumbled, amazed by the activity around her.

“Welcome Darrick. I set out a few different types of wood, like you requested,” the desk clerk kindly stated. The woman unwrapped a cloth, revealing the pieces on the counter.

“Please see what type of wood speaks to you,” Shael's would be partner told her. The guy watched her as she held her hand over the various pieces, waiting.

Shael sighed deeply after closing her eyes, totally closing her mind off to outside noise. Her hand glowed with an aura of white as she slowly moved it over the pieces. She hovered over two pieces of greenwood, and it responded by glowing back. “These are whispering to me,” Shael said in a traced like voice before picking them up.

Darrick nodded and paid for the items, carefully wrapping the items up in the cloth, handing them to the elf. The two left, though he saw her looking at him when they got to the car. Her expression wasn't one that he wouldn't say was unexpected. He knew Shael wondered what he'd create with these and more, which was an honest concern. “After we get back to the cabin later, I'll show you what I'll make,” Darrick told her after they got back in the car.

She nodded slightly while he started the engine. Shael eased a couple strands back off of her face, still taken by the man's commitment, even with his captain's short-sided view. He was in pain, that was something so clear, and she had a good guess why. The elf followed his lead when they stopped in the strip clubs, and helped Darrick question the owners Shael found some of them seedy, if that was the lightest word to describe it, making her discussed but saw the officer get disgusted more.

“Look, we aren't here to bust your fucking ass! This woman was murdered last night,” he yelled after showing a picture. Darrick saw the owner's shock in his face, telling the tail. “What's her name, and who'd she leave with?” the man asked in a huff. Shael's partner wasn't in a mood to be played with, though knocking the slime out wouldn't help the investigation.

“Her name was Jasmine Holt. A pale man in a suit and top hat left with her,” the owner said, shocked. A shiver went through him, making him drop in a chair. He was a lowlife, but he cared for her, even though he didn't show it.

The elf pulled out a rubbing of the vampire, and asked, “The man, did he look like this?” Shael studied the man, knowing he saw the undead, but noted Darrick's body language as well. She put her hand on his wrist, trying to ease him, noting him calm some, though it wasn't much. The woman left with him, watching him closely, knowing something was wrong. He seemed uneasy earlier in the day, but now, Shael knew he wasn't right.

They got back to the cabin, and Darrick let Max out. The officer went somewhere, grabbing nunchucku and went outback. He swung the weapon, skillfully and moved with cat-like reflexes, not missing a step. Darrick switched hands and stances, striking the air with speed. He ended with a kick, but couldn't say if the workout helped the situation or not.

The woman went out and saw him workout, amazed by it. She dosed the arm again, but watched him, swearing the style seemed like water. It was unlike fighting styles the elf villages or the other races had, leaving the elf stunned. Shael sat in a chair, entranced by the way Darrick used the weapon, leading her to believe he was going to train her in that art. The elf got out of bed that night after a crash woke her. She went through the cabin, and found Darrick drinking as he stared at a picture of a pink-haired cat woman. Shael stood there, knowing it was the ninja Darrick worked beside, and fell in love with.

He drank the liquor as fast as it was poured, barely feeling the numbness. The man's eyes teared up when the pain got too much, giving way to sobbing. Drinking like this usually killed the pain when he thought of her, the man knew it, but it didn't that time. Darrick tried pouring his eighth glass, but Shael put her hand over the cup.

She helped him to bed, which he went willingly. Shael watched over the man with Max at her side, but couldn't fathom how bad losing the woman he loved effected him. The redhead didn't have a lover in her life, her work was her lover, so she was spared loss, but she was curious. Shael awoke still in Darrick's room, only to see him not there, having her search for him. She found him working with the wood they bought, making a sickled weapon of some sort.

“Thank you for watching out for me last night,” he said before starting the grinder again. Darrick worked the hardened steel into a curved object, putting an edge on it and attaching it to an end of the piece of wood. He did the same with the other piece, connecting them together by a chain, creating nunchucku. Darrick handed them to her and said, “Tell me if these are easy to twirl,” kindly.

She didn't know what the man meant, which had her stare at the weapon. Shael watched him take his weapon out and copied the motions he did, getting it in a few minutes. The weight of them felt natural to her, which sounded odd, given that she used a sword most of her life. The elf twirled the nunchucku carefully, mimicking Darrick's movement, and rather enjoying the mini-lesson.”These feel good,” Shael told him happily after handing them back, but smiled when he wouldn't accept them back. Nobody had ever done anything like this, taken her in, treated her wounds or made her weapons out of kindness before, which threw her.

“They're yours now... I'll train you properly in a day or so,” the man said as he cleaned his work area. Darrick saw Shael just stare at him, giving the impression that no one offered her shit, and given where she came from was understandable. He helped her do easy moves two days later, guiding Shael slowly and took her step by step. She picked up the moves quickly, impressing him, but if a move stumped her, Darrick worked with the elf, shaping it to suit her.

The elf kept up with the man days later, moving with him and guarding, even countering quickly. Shael bowed after they trained, smiling because it refreshed her. Darrick made an impression on her, that if he wasn't with the police force, she would ask him if he'd be her partner in the other realm, once this mission ended. Of course, some elves, and other races might frown about the fact that a human became her bounty hunter partner, the elf knew that, but didn't care. Shael let the man check the bite that night, having her debate the best way to ask Darrick about the cat woman in the picture. “I don't mean to pry, but the woman in the picture last night,” she said in a respectful, but meek tone.

“That was Deadra, yes,” Darrick answered after two minutes of thinking. The man saw her spells were closing the fang marks, which put him at ease, though Shael's words made him feel a certain way. “Her and I fell in love, and wanted to marry, but,” he added, trying not to break down. Deadra was his world, though it sounded odd to some, but they really were in love. Darrick wiped tears away with his arm after a second, finding the elf's hand on his shoulder, easing him.

She knew he had a reason behind his mood and drive to see the vampire brought down, but it became more than that. Shael didn't know what to say or do, she just knelt and held Darrick for a time. “Don't worry, he won't get away from us,” the woman told him as she held him. The elf shivered some, not knowing what more to say to her partner, but she figured he knew what she tried to do. Shael stayed there, holding Darrick until she felt him back up, leaving her to look at him.

Her trainer wiped his eyes slowly after blinking a few times. He let nobody see him about to break like that, at least until then, but was thankful she was understanding. “Thank you,” Darrick calmly whispered after composing himself. The man told Shael that the fang holes were about healed, and that if she wanted to put on her breastplate, she could. He got off of the dusty wooden floor, and headed to cook dinner, but noted the redheaded elf follow after she put the piece on.

The woman helped with the cooking, though she had to ask several questions about the oven and the like. Shael did know how to cook, but always camped out, and cooked using the campfire. Even when vacationing on Earth, cooking that way was done, which sounded bad, she admitted to herself. The woman watched and listened to Darrick, following his lead, getting a meal ready in no time. The two ate, going over files and what they learned that day, but the man had something on his mind. “Darrick, what is it?” Shael asked after studying him a moment.

He rifled through pictures the strip club owner handed over to them that day, like some piece key piece was there. “Do vampires have human aids in the other realm?” the man asked calmly after showing Shael a picture of a man with an odd tattoo, pointing at Jasmine.

The elf looked at the photo, seeing a fang with blood dripping from it. “This looks like his brand, yes,” she answered after a second look. She told her partner more about the subculture of human servants, and what one must do to be chosen as one. Something popped into her head after she told Darrick that, but it seemed hard to believe. “Did you notice anything with that rookie when we went to look at the woman's body?” Shael asked him point-blank.

He folded his arms as he thought for a moment. The rookie did rub Darrick wrong, that wasn't a lie, but there was more. A new officer would react, Shael's partner did when he was a rookie, but not that coldly, making him think harder. “The guy did act like he was covering something, but,” Darrick answered after a second. He looked at the elf, then at the photo again before adding, “If there are servants on the force, we need to be careful.”

“I agree,” the woman said as she nodded. She aided Darrick in the after-dinner cleaning, still working out what they could do. They needed to ensure that if the police are infiltrated by the vampire's soldiers, they won't tip him off, having Shael debate more. “We should operate independently then,” she told him while handing Darrick a dish. The fairy curled elf admitted the guy could be fired for this action, if he agreed to it of course, but judging by the captain and his exchange the day before, he'd do it.

“Before we do, we should finish your training,” he said with a chuckle. His captain might take his badge after what they would do, but fuck it. Darrick went around with the elf, cleaning and helping her feed Max, rather feeling like Deadra nudge him toward Shael. It wasn't love, and Darrick knew that, but it was like she wanted him to do something other than police work. “There's garlic powder on the shelf. After you mix it into his dog food, he'll love you,” the man told Shael kindly, watching her with the dog.

She shook the powder in, mixing the food with a spoon carefully and put the dog's bowl down for him. The elf watched as Max gobbled it up, like someone might take it, smiling at the sight. Shael had never been around, or seen dogs in this light, so this was nice. “If we do find out the police rookie's involved, what will you do?” she asked after brushing some hair behind her ear.

“My job. And if he resists, kill him like the vampire will die,” Darrick answered coldly. He didn't care if the trash was a fellow cop or not, he gave up any right to be called a brother when he sided with that thing. Shael's partner shrugged, knowing what he just said was cold, and would get him fired, but he'd do anything he had to stop this undead ass. Darrick nodded some, silently wishing her goodnight and went to his room. He would pick the bottle of whatever was close, and he almost opened it, but what had to be done made him focus.

Shael went to his door, ready to open it and offer him a job, in case he was fired. The hunter was about to open it, though figured Darrick wanted time alone, so she went to bed. She laid there, thinking what the next some odd days would bring, shifting some, but thoughts of her partner, who she dared to call a friend mixed in as well. Darrick was distant and hurt in the beginning, which she knew why, but if he wasn't helping her, she might've lost her arm, or worse.

Darrick and her spent the next day practicing, refining her moves and more. The man showed her advanced techniques, helping the elf work them into her set. She had some gaps and difficulty in places, that was expected with twirling the weapons around the ankle, but he worked with her until it was second nature. Darrick and Shael went to work that night, staking out the police station, finding the rookie leaving the building soon after.

The two exited the car, following the man very carefully. The elf pointed, signaling her partner to hold, which Darrick did. “Were you here at this warehouse before with Deadra?” Shael asked, seeing his eyes. She put her hand on the man's shoulder, hoping it'd ease him, and it did. The redhead sighed while trying to look for a way in, noticing Darrick grip her, as if he wanted her to follow. Shael closely followed Darrick, and hoped he would be okay if the vampire was inside.

Her partner moved in, ensuring if eyes were on them, they moved in the shadows, but knew the woman wondered about him. Darrick asked himself if he confronted the undead man that killed the lady he loved, what would he do daily, but had no answer. Sure, he'd take him down, no question, though the man admitted that the pain might cloud his judgment. Darrick motioned Shael over to him once he got to a door, and quickly opened it, entering the building alongside her.

She skillfully covered her side, scanning for any sign of the rookie cop, though shivered some. Shael looked over at Darrick, wondering if he felt like this seemed wrong, but before she knew it, a shot rang out. The elf turned quickly, and saw a man holding his blood-soaked left hand, noting his gun on the floor. She saw Darrick grab him and force him down, gun trained on the man's head. “We know you serve a vampire, so tell us what he's planning,” Shael told him gruffly.

“What? Vampire?”the rookie asked in pain. He grit his teeth from the sensation, but really he shivered because the vampire warned him not to tell. “I think you two need help,” the young man added, smirking near the end. The vampire's servant cringed and screamed when Darrick hit the still bleeding wound with his gun, forcing the creature's plan from the man.

“So, in the basement? Thanks,” Shael's partner sneered at the man before hitting his head on the floor. The two continued to the creature's dwelling, but the rookie came behind Darrick and tried to stab him. Her partner side stepped the man, hit his hand hard with his nunchucku, breaking every bone in it, and broke the man's neck. Darrick looked at Shael, knowing she might say something, even though there were things she could've said, but saw her just nod.

Shael took a breath, preparing herself for what may be the final battle, and headed down the wooden steps. The redhead followed as Darrick made their way in the darkness, but couldn't help wondering how he felt. “He must be thinking about closure,” the hunter muttered to herself after summoning a ball of light above her free hand. She only met the police officer a month or two ago now, though in that time, she respected and helped him, as he did her. Shael saw Darrick stop and take up a stance with his nunchucku, making her do the same, while looking around.

“Well well, the hunter found herself a partner,” a man chuckled from the dark. The vampire smiled, knowing the reason Darrick was there, and created a puppet of Deadra to play with his mind. Deadra's shell went out, shaking the man, forcing him to back away. It smiled before attacking, kicking Darrick into boxes before Shael's mark faded in behind her. He lunged, ready to bite her, but she took her sickled nunchucku and slashed his cheek.

The elf got between her partner and the puppet, guarding him. She fought the vampire's creation, but saw him stumble, like he was injured. Shael noticed the same gash appearing on the shell's cheek, making her believe her friend coated her weapon with something. “You know, you almost had me, bloodsucker,” Darrick said after getting up.

Her partner knew this wasn't Deadra, though it didn't mean he had no feelings. He took a stance, and attacked, praying with each blow that his feline forgave him for this. Darrick hit the puppet's cheek so hard with his weapon that the force broke its link with her master, killing it. Shael's partner saw her come beside him, and said, “I coated our chucks with garlic!! Little trick from movies, but it looks like it works against you undead pricks in real life,” in a chuckle. He and the elf went after the vampire with all they had, striking him, but he blinded her friend leaving her to fight him.

“Darrick,” Shael yelled after catching him, attempting to heal the man. She did, but saw his expression, silently telling her it was okay to go after the scum. The woman took her stance, just eyeing her mark after ensuring Darrick was well. She twirled her weapon skillfully, dead set on not letting the fool escape again. Shael watched him draw his sword, and go for her, having her move and counter, ending with a combo that had the creature's, flesh falling off.

“YOU BITCH,” he screamed after covering his cheek with his free hand. His cocky attitude crumbled and left a shivering child in the aftermath. The vampire charged at Shael, a blind rage fueling him, but found her sweeping his leg, followed by her weapon slapping his face. He laid on the cold floor, pain and the crumbling flesh driving home the fact death came for him, but yet the creature still cursed the elf's name in a dead tongue. Shael's foot on his neck was all he saw before everything went black.

She swiftly used her weapon and took his head off. Shael sent it back to the village that hired her in the other realm, but went to Darrick after. The woman knelt, checking his sight, though couldn't help hugging the man. She felt her partner return it, though warmer, which gave her a good feeling. “Deadra, Jasmine and the women he took can rest, now that he's dead,” Shael whispered in Darrick's ear.

The man could've said a one-liner, but he cried into her shoulder. He felt whole for the first time in two years, and he had the woman that he was holding to thank for that. Darrick took a second to gather himself before he faced her, but knew there were two loose ends to tie up. The two came out of the warehouse, though her partner took a picture of the rookie's tattoo before they left, knowing it'd come in handy soon. Both saw the police waiting for them, and heard the captain swearing at the top of his lungs, making Darrick deck the old fool.

“Before you fire me, strip me of anything, listen up,” Shael's partner yelled. Darrick knelt in front of the captain, kind of picking his words before continuing. He knew this would get him canned, but added, “I've dug, and you know what was unearthed? You've said your wife died of cancer? A friend at the morgue pulled the records and told me she had bites like the victims,” in the same tone. Darrick grabbed the man's sleeve, ripping it to show the vampire's mark, ending with, “Your bloodsucker's dead!!!” He threw his badge and gun on the hood of a cruiser before leaving with Shael, unsure of the future, but felt free.

The hunter saw her partner, friend and teacher back to the cabin, unsure what to say. She was very thankful for everything, just couldn't find the appropriate words to express it. “So now what will you do?” Shael asked softly while they headed into the living room. The redhead wanted to offer Darrick the chance to be by her side, and work as a hunter, though he needed to tie something up.

He thought for a minute after sitting on the couch, really unsure of what to say. “Well, I quit tonight, as you were my witness. I don't know, to tell the truth,” Darrick answered. The man figured he would be a target now, so there was that. He felt Deadra's spirit nudge him in another line of work the other night, having him weigh that option. Darrick scratched Max's head after he came to him, and added, “I need to visit her grave and say farewell,” after a sigh.

Shael nodded, understanding that, offering to be his support, if needed. “If you're open to it, I think there is a job for you,” she commented after sitting across from the guy. The choice would be his now, and the lady knew that as she looked at him while planning her words. The elf took a breath before adding, “Darrick, I have no words to thank you, so how about a new life, working as my partner?” Shael knew races in the other realm would take issue with a human as her partner, but as she thought before, the argument had no weight on things.

The elf's partner shifted a bit while thinking about her offer. It was something he thought of, and it would solve the vampire's servant's who might seek him out for revenge. Darrick wanted to live in a simpler time anyway, and felt Deadra was telling him to work with the elf woman after the case. “I accept, my friend, but he won't like being without me,” the man told her calmly, pointing to Max.

Shael had a grin growing even before Darrick could finish his sentence. “Well, he can come too! He is almost human in a sense,” she commented cheerfully. The thought never crossed her mind to leave the animal, it was a joy to interact with, not to mention, Max would help get information out of the informants back home. She helped the man pack, then transported his clothing, Max's food and whatnot to the home they'd call theirs, but went to a graveyard after. Shael watched as Darrick knelt in front of a weathered headstone, putting a white rose in front of it before bowing.

“Gods my love, I'm sorry it took me this long...I just couldn't,” the man started with. Darrick added more about his feelings for her, the dog, and finally killing the bastard. “I've felt you with me these last few days,” he added before becoming emotional. Darrick stayed there, trying to compose himself, not having much luck, until the elf eased him. The three left after a final farewell, staying in a cabin in the realm for the first night before going to the next town.

Shael, her partner and their German Shepard entered a tavern three months later, wearing light brown cloaks. They ordered water, but noted the elves eyeing Max, having Darrick shoot them a look. “So, this son of a bitch owner knows who bought the children?” he asked lightly.

The elf nodded before going to the bar, her plan in mind. She sat down, knowing both she and her partner couldn't stomach people who sold children as sex slaves.

TO BE CONTINUED....


End file.
